Handout or a Handup?

My very close friend, Jason Fairfield is one of the sharpest and hardest working guys I know. He has built a company from ZERO to one of the BEST online, digital communications & web companies in Canada. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have his wisdom at my fingertips. He has taught me many things while I have been building my coaching business, but it was something he taught me early on that completely changed how I looked at my direction and how I could become successful.

We were chatting about the growth potential of gaining clients and as I had just begun working at a new facility, I was lamenting to him that I thought they (the new facility) would see me as a “viable” commodity and jump to promote my coaching and services. He then said to me, “Are you waiting for them to give you a HAND OUT? They just hired you and gave you a HAND UP, so why don’t you do the rest and show them they made the right decision and work your butt off!”

I sat there for a few moments and thought about what he had just said, and I realized he was absolutely right (major ego check time here). I was thinking that they would or should be doing more for me as I am “Doug Lawrie, PGA of Canada”. What Jason had got me to realize by saying that to me was this; so many of us think that we need to be “GIVEN” something because of what we have achieved, awards won, degrees earned or positions held. The stark reality in our society is that there is far too much standing around with our proverbial “HAND OUT” waiting for something to be “GIVEN” to us and not enough recognition of the “HAND UP” or “opportunity” that stands before us.

I remember reading in John Maxwell’s book “Failing Forward” (By far the BEST book I have ever read and you should too) that challenges are merely opportunities waiting to be discovered. Challenges are seen as insurmountable and difficult by most people. Jason merely lit the fuse in my brain that attached to my deep desire to help others. I thought “Wow! “Since I was given an opportunity to grow my business and a blank slate, I knew I could design the very BEST coaching programs and do it how I wanted to.” I had sitting in front of me the opportunity to create my OWN success or failure. Yes it is true that sometimes you cannot see the forest for the trees.

These words Jason and I spoke about nearly 8 years ago motivated me so highly they led to me becoming one of the best Junior Golf Coaches in North America and the most recognized/awarded PGA of Canada Professional in the past 5 years. So I challenge YOU to think about what is facing you at this time in your life. Are you waiting for someone to GIVE you a HAND OUT to solve it, or are you taking that HAND UP you’ve been given and writing your own success?